Russell Wilson is amazing. This is- I think- the first game of his NFL career that did not feature a deep ball attempt. That's noteworthy because Wilson's deep ball is one of his biggest strengths, and his best games have always been those were he forces defenses to play their safeties deep. Instead, this was more like a vintage Matt Hasselbeck performance: a mixture of zippy intermediate passes and dinks and dunks. It's not a style naturally suited to Wilson, but damn did he look good doing it. Very exciting progress. I know that RG3 is practically a shoe-in for RoY, and Luck is coming on strong himself, but if Wilson keeps this up, he's going to have one of the best rookie seasons in history. And not in a flukey "defenses will figure him out next year" kind of way, but in a legitimate growing up kind of way.

The Vikings are a good, if hobbled team. Even when Peterson looked like he might threaten the single game rushing record at times during this game, it was hard to feel bad about it when he was making cuts in bullet time and on almost any other play the defense looked lights out. Seriously, Adrian Peterson is kinda good. That sick run for 70+ yards in the first drive of the game was the most impressive run I've seen in years. Most backs would lose 3 yards on that carry, but after two stiff arms, a sideline tightrope act, and a hummingbird dart inside that juked out half of Seattle's secondary, I almost didn't care if he scored after that. I had stars in my eyes. Seattle overcame one of the best looking games of Peterson's life, and they did it with a complete team effort.

I realize that Minnesota is not an elite team, and that this was at home. But this game was the most polished performance I've seen from the Seahawks since at least the Saints playoff game. Today, the Seahawks looked not like a 4-4 team, but a 14-2 team. A champion. If Wilson can look this polished, if the team can keep the penalties to an ordinary level, if the defense can be reasonable on 3rd and long... if those things happen our Seahawks are one of the very best teams in the NFL.

And maybe they will be. This is actually Seattle's 4th game in a row that I would say Seattle has played pretty well, but that was masked by drops against the 49ers and an awesome performance from Matt Stafford against the Lions. Maybe we could see a repeat of last season where the real version of the team shows up in final 8 games and puts the NFL on notice.

I'm so excited man. I'm like Jon Gruden with Russell Wilson right now.

Random thoughts and observations

-Firstly, I had a lot of respect for the Vikings today. Their fans showed up in droves and they endured an asskicking after twice holding leads. Percy Harvin badly hurt his ankle and yet still came back in the game to help his team win a game, even as a decoy. Christian Ponder didn't have a great game, but he had a mostly mistake free game while playing gimpy. Jared Allen and the rest of their D-line did a very respectable job accumulating sacks and TFLs. Adrian Peterson displayed a sensational individual performance. The Vikings gave us close to their best shot and our team still crushed them.

-Tim Ryan or "80s beard" as I like to call him called yet another Seahawks game today. This is actually the third Fox covered Seahawks game in a row that featured Tim Ryan and Chris Meyers (Carolina, Detroit, Minnesota). I think they do an outstanding job, particularly Ryan who always seems to be on top of everything. When Pete Carroll was going nuts on the sideline after Minnesota's final field goal, nobody knew what was going on, but in seconds Ryan already noticed how the play clock had hit zeroes and solved the mystery for us.

-Marcus Trufant had a brutal missed tackle that allowed a catch and run 3rd and long conversion- which would later result in a Vikings TD. He also got burned on a play later on and committed a no-doubter DPI. Pretty much his only highlight was a fumble recovery. The broadcast said he forced it too, but to my eyes it looked like Bobby Wagner was the one who stripped it. Still, it's games like this that should make a certain roster decision easier when Thurmond is activated again.

-Brandon Mebane must be a jedi, because he can read minds. That's the only way I can explain his ability to fire off so much faster than anyone else does, even the offensive linemen.

-Other than a horrible unneccessary roughness call against Browner, I thought the officials did an excellent job today despite a high number of tough decisions- especially in regards to spotting the football.

-The Seahawks have quietly put their penalty bugaboo behind them the last few weeks. May it stay behind them forever. I was amazed to hear that Okung and Giacomini are #1 and #2 in the NFL for O-lineman penalties. It feels like they've been so much better in that regard lately.

-Has anyone ever had a more discreet career year than 2012 Marshawn Lynch? He's been fantastic this year, but he's not getting a ton of attention mainly because the NFL is bursting at the seams with surprise stories in 2012. Lynch is on pace for 1514 rushing yards and has 4.8 yards per carry. Both marks would demolish his previous bests.

-Our pass rush looked great. It wasn't very long ago that our pass rush was Chris Clemons and nothing else. Today, every spot brought pressure with good consistency. It was the perfect recipe for a QB that is naturally inclined to throw the ball away or run for a few yards under duress.

-What's up with Greg Scruggs new celebration dance? It kinda looked like a dance move from Gangnam style- a video which Pete Carroll linked on his twitter about a month ago.

-Jeron Johnson had a hit and miss game, but with more good plays than bad. It's a shame he isn't blessed with a bigger/faster body, because he has a nose for the football.

-The entire secondary had a fantastic game, most especially Sherman and Browner. I seriously can't remember a receiver catching a pass against Sherman all game. Kam Chancellor was a bit of a duck, getting burned by AP and (I think) Harvin, but overall our secondary was a big reason we won this game.

-Golden Tate had probably his best game as a Seahawk. It's incredible how far he's come since just last season. I wanted him off the team 14 months ago after a miserable looking preseason. He's gone from a guy that couldn't run a route or find a first down marker to a legitimately good possession receiver who can make plays. Perhaps inspired by Jerome Simpson (once a Bengal now a Viking), he attempted the same acrobatic goal line TD jump, and succeeded albeit with less pinache. The judges wouldn't score it a 10, but it was still a TD and one of the cooler plays of the 2012 Seahawks season.

-Rice could do nothing the rest of the year and he'd still be a Seahawk almost guaranteed in 2013. He's owed $7 million next year, but $7 million is a bargain for what he brings to this offense. Zach Miller is owed $11 million next season. I don't see any possible way he gets that money, but he's starting to make that inevitable decision look pretty interesting after stringing together several strong games.

-Outside of a couple individual lapses, it seems Pete Carroll might have fixed our 3rd and long problem. No longer were targets wide open in soft zones for easy conversions- other than one play where AP caught a 2 yard pass on 3rd and 2- but I think that had more to do with Chancellor respecting Peterson's game-breaking speed.

Last edited by kearly on Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:28 pm, edited 6 times in total.

Jazzhawk wrote:I disagree that we looked like a 14-2 team, but we looked a lot better than a 4-4 team, and certainly better than the 5-3 Vikings. Things are looking up.

Agreed.

One thing to think about with the third down issue is that we didn't exactly play an elite QB/WR group today. Not that I think we truly have a third down "issue" but this wasn't the best test to tell us.

Just like when people say they are extremely worried about the run D. A lot of that was AP looking like the old AP on his cuts and explosion.

The game felt much closer at the stadium for some reason. But sure was fun!

The first thing that came to mind about Scruggs' dance was that he was a drummer in his high school marching band. During the pre-season he wrote an article in which he expressed his love for drumming.

Good post as always. Just wanted to touch on one thing. They only had one sack. Jared Allen was held in check practically all game. Robison had a pretty nice game though. Got half a sack and that big bat down of a Wilson pass.

kearly wrote:-Marcus Trufant had a brutal missed tackle that allowed a catch and run 3rd and long conversion- which would later result in a Vikings TD. He also got burned on a play later on and committed a no-doubter DPI. Pretty much his only highlight was a fumble recovery. The broadcast said he forced it too, but to my eyes it looked like Bobby Wagner was the one who stripped it. Still, it's games like this that should make a certain roster decision easier when Thurmond is activated again.

Watch again, your eyes are broken, Trufant clearly stripped the ball, then made the recovery. It was a great play and led directly to points.

I think it's doubtful that Thurmond takes Trufant's job this season and I find the Trufant hate permeating this board ridiculous.

Earl and Kam (both of whom I love by the way) had multiple 'brutal missed tackles', yet Trufant is who gets attacked. Also the Vikings didn't have a 3rd and long conversion on any TD drive, so you'll have to find something else to blame him for.

RW is better right now than I ever thought he'd be this season. Whether or not Flynn could do better has been rendered irrelevant, as at least a couple times a game I find myself genuinely impressed by what the kid does.

My initial thought after the game that I posted on the .net chat was that the defence looked ok, but not great.

After further review, I thought the second half adjustments were fantastic. Many times this year other teams have made some pretty good adjustments against us. This time, I think our guys really stepped up. The D line started hitting gaps that had been left open, shedding blocks that they had been stuck on in the first half. The corners especially played well all game. The second half was a great effort by the defence. It was a great game and hopefully leads to some better things.

I'm heading to the Jets game this week with my brother and I'm looking forward to watching the Seahawks send them back to New York unhappy.

seahawk2k wrote:RW is better right now than I ever thought he'd be this season. Whether or not Flynn could do better has been rendered irrelevant, as at least a couple times a game I find myself genuinely impressed by what the kid does.

Anyone really not think he would get this good? I have been on the wagon since training camp. He just works to damn hard and wants it to damn much to not be successful. On the teams' day off on tuesday's he is always at the facility watching film and trying to get better. He is always the first one there and last one to leave. Is a natural leader and winner. It is what he wants and he will do anything to get it. Love the kid that is why i already have 6 jerseys of his.

Sarlacc83 wrote:Nice write up, kip. Have to hand it to AP. Our linebackers lost containment, and he made them pay every time. The man is special, even a year after ACL surgery.

I agree Kip -- nice write-up.

Regarding Peterson, I believe that I mentioned in my preview that it appeared that he had lost a step going laterally. Ummmm -- not exactly. He had Barry Sanders-like explosion in and out of cuts and reminded me some of Gayle Sayers out there. Absolutely, positively unbelievable for a guy who not only had surgery on his ACL -- he had surgery on his MCL as well. Adrian Peterson is certainly one of the greatest RB's who have ever played this game -- a Hall of Famer some day.

That said, I completely agree with you Sarlacc that the main reason for those long runs that our linebackers in particular lost containment on several occasions. If you go back and look at the game tape, you'll notice on several of those occasions the linebackers are all coming up in to the line of scrimmage ... with then basically leaves nobody in the middle of the field on containment when Peterson breaks through. I saw that time and time again. I said it in my preview piece that gap control and discipline were going to be huge keys to containing this guy. To me, this is a case of over-aggressiveness -- in many ways the same kind of over-aggressiveness that the 49ers used against the Seahawks to pop Frank Gore free. If I'm Gus Bradley, I'm telling Bobby Wagner that for guys like Peterson and Gore he's got to stay home. Sit put and keep containment in case that RB busts through. I'm extremely happy with the win (believe me) ... but this issue of containment and not allowing huge runs is I'd like to see addressed as we move forward.

Most offenses aren't going to be ABLE to make our linebackers pay that badly for being over-aggressive. San Francisco and Minnesota are two of the offenses with the O-line skill, RB talent, and smart play-calling to do so, and they've created a rookie wall for our LB's. It's really about reading plays and knowing WHEN to be aggressive, and that's something they'll learn.

"We don't even need your stupid a-- that much. We can win Super Bowls with retired Kerry f------- Collins right now, and you want to be the highest paid player of all-time? F--- you." - Tical21 to Russell Wilson, 6/30/15

MontanaHawk05 wrote:Most offenses aren't going to be ABLE to make our linebackers pay that badly for being over-aggressive. San Francisco and Minnesota are two of the offenses with the O-line skill, RB talent, and smart play-calling to do so, and they've created a rookie wall for our LB's. It's really about reading plays and knowing WHEN to be aggressive, and that's something they'll learn.

Along with this, I think we're also noticing a need at DT. I'd like to Jason Jones resigned, but I also think PC and JS are going to take a serious look at some 1-Techs in the draft. We need a 10 year staple at the position.

seahawk2k wrote:RW is better right now than I ever thought he'd be this season. Whether or not Flynn could do better has been rendered irrelevant, as at least a couple times a game I find myself genuinely impressed by what the kid does.

Anyone really not think he would get this good? I have been on the wagon since training camp. He just works to damn hard and wants it to damn much to not be successful. On the teams' day off on tuesday's he is always at the facility watching film and trying to get better. He is always the first one there and last one to leave. Is a natural leader and winner. It is what he wants and he will do anything to get it. Love the kid that is why i already have 6 jerseys of his.

This quickly? No, I did not. But the story is still unfolding isn't it? Bit early to draw conclusions IMO although signs are very promising!

With maybe the exception of an Andrew Luck who basically was like, grown in a test tube and genetically engineered to be an NFL quarterback, you *just don't know* which guys are going to be able to adjust to NFL defenses and which ones won't. And history has shown time and again that it takes between 2-2.5 seasons of starting to see what you really have. Defenses adapt to quarterbacks and the quarterback has to evolve in response, and that whole process takes time to play out. When people are trying to draw conclusions on high learning curve position players like quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, and Defensive Ends after 2 or 4 or 8 or 10 games it strikes me as well, silly. But that's just me.

Great write-up I am going to add a thoughts as my concern and not trying to rain on the parade or complain at any individual player just not think everything is great and fantastic even though this was a great game

1) Ladderal passes. I counted three ladderal passes this game. We haven't had one since game 1 / 2 (can't remember) that led to a turnover. The first one to Rice was in my mind there to not setup future passes by Rice but to setup future quick ladderal throws. They scare me. One of the subsequent ones was completed but to close in my mind and the last one was dropped / not caught and rolled out of bounds. Hard to see on the TV how close to staying in bounds it was but I didn't think the WR made any attempts to go after the ball. If you are going to throw ladderal passes make sure everyone understands and thinks about it so if not caught - get on the ball!!!!

2) Drops - they are still there and there are to many. In the SF game I thought they fell from the sky into open hands and were dropped. In this game it was more right at the players and they were dropped. Not sure if the reason was that balls are coming out to hot or if the WRs are just dropping them but it needs to get corrected. One or max two per game I get it but at this rate it will continue to cost games

3) Not a concern more an observation RW overthrew Tate on a left middle deep pass came right back and underthrew someone think Lynch. I like the fact that during the game RW continues to think and try to correct his game. Unfortunately in this case it looks like he overcorrected a bit. He will get those few overthrows corrected and continue to develop. He also stepped up in the pocket and overall was much more comfortable moving around and looking for WR's downfield. e looks like a future franchise qb and that is the biggest thing coming out of this season no matter what happens.......

Good stuff, K-man. Hey all, how fantastically decadent was it too watch the Seahawks in complete control at the end of a game and able to win by grinding out the last 5 minutes?! I don't recall the last time that happened and it felt soooooo good.

mikeak wrote:3) Not a concern more an observation RW overthrew Tate on a left middle deep pass came right back and underthrew someone think Lynch. I like the fact that during the game RW continues to think and try to correct his game. Unfortunately in this case it looks like he overcorrected a bit. He will get those few overthrows corrected and continue to develop. He also stepped up in the pocket and overall was much more comfortable moving around and looking for WR's downfield. e looks like a future franchise qb and that is the biggest thing coming out of this season no matter what happens.......

I agree. That was the only sequence that I thought RW looked like a rookie. Not bad when you step back and remember he IS a rookie! LOL. Franchise QB in the making.

MontanaHawk05 wrote:Most offenses aren't going to be ABLE to make our linebackers pay that badly for being over-aggressive. San Francisco and Minnesota are two of the offenses with the O-line skill, RB talent, and smart play-calling to do so, and they've created a rookie wall for our LB's. It's really about reading plays and knowing WHEN to be aggressive, and that's something they'll learn.

Along with this, I think we're also noticing a need at DT. I'd like to Jason Jones resigned, but I also think PC and JS are going to take a serious look at some 1-Techs in the draft. We need a 10 year staple at the position.

Mebane looks to be the 1-tech in most passing situations and appears to be doing a phenomenal job at it. I think 1-tech is set as far as starters go. IMO we need to invest in a long term 3-tech who can do what Jason Jones does for us on the passing downs - out rushing the OG and creating that interior pressure - with a big enough body to stay in there and plug gaps on the running downs. We need a Warren Sapp type dude to really make this pass rush go IMO. Jones is fantastic situationally and I'm a huge fan, but I'd like to see a full time all round big bodied pass rushing 3-tech in there. Someone with a skillset like Donkeykong Suh. That'd be bad ass.

This poster officially refuses to recognize SacHawk2.0 as a moderator or authority figure of any description.

don't think that matters whether he wore crimson or purple, and i don't think it's hate, just the fact that he never lived up to the hype coming out of college.. he's never been a shut down corner, or even a top tier corner, except for one good year... and the last few years he's been an average corner at best.. he is constantly in position to make plays but never seems to make them... all though he had a great game yesterday, minus the two plays that i saw, those two plays reminded me of the Fant of old, almost there but not making the play.. na i don't think anyones is hating on Fant, i think folks just see it's time to move on... by the way i'm a coug and i loved this dude since day one at WA state... great college corner, average NFL corner..

kearly wrote:-Rice could do nothing the rest of the year and he'd still be a Seahawk almost guaranteed in 2013. He's owed $7 million next year, but $7 million is a bargain for what he brings to this offense. Zach Miller is owed $11 million next season. I don't see any possible way he gets that money, but he's starting to make that inevitable decision look pretty interesting after stringing together several strong games.

Your numbers are a little different from mine.

Rice still has to actually produce IMHO. I'm pulling for him but @ a scheduled $8.5 million for 2013, he certainly has to deliver in the second half of this season.

Zack Miller, like Rice, has to deliver value for the ballance of the year. Millers's numbers are 6.8 salary + 3.0 roster bonus = 9.8 mil for 2013. Four mil of that is guaranteed regardless if he plays or not. With an accelerated signing bonus write off, any potential cap savings shrinks.

Considering that there are no real alternative replacement for either one of these players, playing up to their contracts is the best outcome for everyone.

Edited to include 2013 contract numbers.

Last edited by Jville on Mon Nov 05, 2012 6:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.

kearly wrote:-Rice could do nothing the rest of the year and he'd still be a Seahawk almost guaranteed in 2013. He's owed $7 million next year, but $7 million is a bargain for what he brings to this offense. Zach Miller is owed $11 million next season. I don't see any possible way he gets that money, but he's starting to make that inevitable decision look pretty interesting after stringing together several strong games.

Rice still has to actually produce IMHO. I'm pulling for him but he still has to deliver in the second half of this season.

Zack Miller, like Rice, has to deliver value for the ballance of the year. Millers's numbers are 6.8 salary + 3.0 roster bonus = 9.8 mil for 2013. Four mil of that is guaranteed regardless if he plays or not. With an accelerated signing bonus write off, any potential cap savings shrinks.

Considering that there are no real alternative replacement for either one of these players, playing up to their contracts is the best outcome.

Not sure what Miller can do about lack of utilization in the passing game. He catches everything they throw his way.

CANHawk wrote:Mebane looks to be the 1-tech in most passing situations and appears to be doing a phenomenal job at it. I think 1-tech is set as far as starters go. IMO we need to invest in a long term 3-tech who can do what Jason Jones does for us on the passing downs - out rushing the OG and creating that interior pressure - with a big enough body to stay in there and plug gaps on the running downs. We need a Warren Sapp type dude to really make this pass rush go IMO. Jones is fantastic situationally and I'm a huge fan, but I'd like to see a full time all round big bodied pass rushing 3-tech in there. Someone with a skillset like Donkeykong Suh. That'd be bad ass.

Word on the street is that this dream might come true. He's always been a home body, and living closer to his home (Oregon) would be huge for him.

CANHawk wrote:Mebane looks to be the 1-tech in most passing situations and appears to be doing a phenomenal job at it. I think 1-tech is set as far as starters go. IMO we need to invest in a long term 3-tech who can do what Jason Jones does for us on the passing downs - out rushing the OG and creating that interior pressure - with a big enough body to stay in there and plug gaps on the running downs. We need a Warren Sapp type dude to really make this pass rush go IMO. Jones is fantastic situationally and I'm a huge fan, but I'd like to see a full time all round big bodied pass rushing 3-tech in there. Someone with a skillset like Donkeykong Suh. That'd be bad ass.

Word on the street is that this dream might come true. He's always been a home body, and living closer to his home (Oregon) would be huge for him.

Hmm... tantalizing information. Are you allowed to say what street you're hearing this on? The only reason i'm even questioning it is because he left home to go play college in Nebraska.

kearly wrote:-Rice could do nothing the rest of the year and he'd still be a Seahawk almost guaranteed in 2013. He's owed $7 million next year, but $7 million is a bargain for what he brings to this offense. Zach Miller is owed $11 million next season. I don't see any possible way he gets that money, but he's starting to make that inevitable decision look pretty interesting after stringing together several strong games.

Rice still has to actually produce IMHO. I'm pulling for him but he still has to deliver in the second half of this season.

Zack Miller, like Rice, has to deliver value for the ballance of the year. Millers's numbers are 6.8 salary + 3.0 roster bonus = 9.8 mil for 2013. Four mil of that is guaranteed regardless if he plays or not. With an accelerated signing bonus write off, any potential cap savings shrinks.

Considering that there are no real alternative replacement for either one of these players, playing up to their contracts is the best outcome.

Not sure what Miller can do about lack of utilization in the passing game. He catches everything they throw his way.

Your right. Holding Miller in to protect Russell Wilson is certainly the greater priority. Millers is so very important to this offense.

Jville wrote:Your right. Holding Miller in to protect Russell Wilson is certainly the greater priority. Millers is so very important to this offense.

Drives me crazy, though....I wish we could put linemen out there that could stand their ground so we could really use Miller the way we should be.

I hear that. But if the game is indeed slowing down for Wilson and he is moving thru his progressions more comfortably, Miller should become more active as a receiver. The offense will grow and expand IMO. I like the improvement we have seen with receiver screens. This offense will finish out the regular season strongly as it grows and expands over the remaining weeks. Exciting times for Seattle.

CANHawk wrote:Jones is fantastic situationally and I'm a huge fan, but I'd like to see a full time all round big bodied pass rushing 3-tech in there. Someone with a skillset like Donkeykong Suh. That'd be bad ass.

We use a rotation of Jones and Alan Branch to accomplish this. It's cheaper and easier to draft than looking for both skillsets in a single DT, as such DT's rarely drop out of the top five.

"We don't even need your stupid a-- that much. We can win Super Bowls with retired Kerry f------- Collins right now, and you want to be the highest paid player of all-time? F--- you." - Tical21 to Russell Wilson, 6/30/15

Jville wrote:Your right. Holding Miller in to protect Russell Wilson is certainly the greater priority. Millers is so very important to this offense.

Drives me crazy, though....I wish we could put linemen out there that could stand their ground so we could really use Miller the way we should be.

I hear that. But if the game is indeed slowing down for Wilson and he is moving thru his progressions more comfortably, Miller should become more active as a receiver. The offense will grow and expand IMO. I like the improvement we have seen with receiver screens. This offense will finish out the regular season strongly as it grows and expands over the remaining weeks. Exciting times for Seattle.

CANHawk wrote:Mebane looks to be the 1-tech in most passing situations and appears to be doing a phenomenal job at it. I think 1-tech is set as far as starters go. IMO we need to invest in a long term 3-tech who can do what Jason Jones does for us on the passing downs - out rushing the OG and creating that interior pressure - with a big enough body to stay in there and plug gaps on the running downs. We need a Warren Sapp type dude to really make this pass rush go IMO. Jones is fantastic situationally and I'm a huge fan, but I'd like to see a full time all round big bodied pass rushing 3-tech in there. Someone with a skillset like Donkeykong Suh. That'd be bad ass.

Word on the street is that this dream might come true. He's always been a home body, and living closer to his home (Oregon) would be huge for him.

That is at the back of my mind too, but lets face it: Suh will get franchised twice if he refuses to sign an extension with the Lions. That makes him a 7 year vet by the time he leaves Motor City.